Made internationally famous by modern films, kung fu is a mixture of weaponry fighting, sword swallowing, meditative reflections and captivating stunts like cracking rocks open with a bare hand.

Shaolin Kung Fu Director Hao Zhou says what makes this performance special is it's filled with stunts that you wouldn't see everyday.

"You're not just seeing this powerful young man that can walk on glass, who's throat can swallow a long sword as well as big knives that wouldn't cut them through," says Hao.

"Of course that is a classical example of what we call Chi power, people get extreme power through meditation.

"Some of them can even do stunts like walking on fire and of course there's resurrections working in regional theatres and we had take to take that out of the program.

"Basically lots of kung fu, boxing style fighting, weaponry type of fighting, as well as I'm so lucky to pick one of the best pair of lions in the whole of China."

By lions, Hao is referring to professional lion dancers and one of them has won national awards in China.

"The funny thing is when we opened the show in Australia, after the show an audience member came up to me and said Hao that was fantastic, you picked up the best dog dancing," he says.

"Probably because the lion dance was so cute and lovely and a lion is generally more aggressive than that so they thought it was a dog dancing."

He says kung fu dates back thousands of years in China.

"The Shaolin kung fu has been with the Chinese since 300BC but in the 1800s an emperor got chased and 16 kung fu men saved him," he says.

"And so after that he thought I must put some more money into kung fu training so this tradition suddenly becomes popular."

He says everyone in China knows kung fu.

"Practically everyone you pick up on the street, like an old granny going out for shopping or something, if you start talking to her about kung fu, she'll be able to show you a couple of things of kung fu," he says.

"So everyone can, it's almost like they don't need to go to the gym, they just do kung fu for exercise."

He says the performance has been a good excuse to return to China more regularly.

"I spend quite a lot of time in China nowadays in the hope that I can rediscover my culture because I've been living in Australia for almost 30 years," he says.

"I was a singer and I was touring around Australia and I just love the countryside of Australia and I get bored in places like Melbourne, Sydney, in the big cities.

"For me to get a free holiday as we say, we sing for our own supper, so I bring some extremely rare groups from mainland China only because I know quite a lot of people."

He says all the kung fu performers have loved travelling through regional Australia.

He says it gives them a good opportunity to experience the real Australia and to spend time in each place.

"This way you're introducing your culture to Australians," he says.

"Australian Australians not just Australian Chinese like myself.

"Most of the time they will take a show to capital cities and you have a house full of Chinese people and I say what's the point in promoting your own culture.

"These people have been born in China, have only been here for the longest maybe 20 years and you really need to show the ordinary Australians and they're going to be in regional Australia."

He says the performance is better than watching a Jackie Chan movie because there's no special effects.

What you see is what you get.

He says one of the performers in the group has used meditation to the extreme.

"This guy can put acupuncture needles into him and carry wights on it so we've got ladies in the audience who really want to see it but who are too scared to see it.

"We have lots and lots of those moments which is fantastic."

He says the performance is more about mind over matter rather than just physical strength.

"They have to mediate before they can actually perform the stunts," says Hao.

"But this man wants to break real bottles on stage so he will pick up my empty glasses, break them on stage and walk on it and jump on it.

"Not even a slight bleeding or anything.

"Basically they get all their strength from the mind from the meditation."

He says the highlight from the trip has been seeing all the young kids and young families enjoy the show so much.